DailyDirt: Smarter Soda Machines

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Water fountains have improved somewhat over the years, but soda machines are really getting quite advanced. Not just limited to refrigerating sugary beverages, these vending machines are going to start tracking consumer behavior and offering some entertainment along with a frosty refreshment. Here are just a few examples of high-tech vending machines trying to connect with customers to sell more soft drinks.

what's that old joke?

Blue Screen of Death?

More like Blue Screen of Thirst.

Though really, they should just put Linux on these. My motto is "if it's good enough for NASA and a wristwatch, it's good enough for anything." Especially since you can install it on a dishwasher. Not all THAT different from a coke machine, really.

Anybody here tried the thing where you push the soda selection buttons in a certain order and hold down the coin return lever and it's supposed to eject all the change in the machine? Does it really work?

Re:

A lot of these use the default password "4231" (i.e., 4th button, then 2nd, etc., going left-to-right then top-to-bottom). You can see the sales statistics, error logs, and some other things, but AFAIK can't reprogram the machine or make it dispense money/product.